This study aimed to examine the associations of Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs with physical activity (PA) participation intention and self-reported PA participation among older adults in South Korea. Specifically, we examined whether perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy were associated with PA participation intention and PA participation, and whether intention accounted for indirect associations between HBM constructs and PA within the hypothesized model. A total of 408 older adults (Mage = 68.84, SD = 4.11) participated in the online survey. This study employed Structural Equation Modeling to examine the interrelationships among the proposed variables. The findings indicated a significant negative association between perceived barriers and PA participation intention and a significant positive association between self-efficacy and PA participation intention. Furthermore, intention was positively associated with PA and accounted for indirect associations linking perceived barriers and self-efficacy with PA. Overall, these findings suggest that perceived barriers and self-efficacy are salient belief domains linked to PA intention and behavior. Practical implications include further interventions to reduce perceived barriers and enhance self-efficacy to promote sustained PA engagement among older adults.
Kim et al. (Mon,) studied this question.